Machine for vending boxes of matches



M 3, 1929'. w. E. WILLIAMS 1,710,395

MACHINE FOR VENDING BOXES OF MATCHES Filed Dec. 18, 1926 '7 Sheets-Sheet l April 23, 1929 w. E. WILLIAMS MACHINE FOR VENDING BOXES 0F MATCHES Filed Dec. 18, 1926 "7 Sheet-Sheet 2 w. E. WILLIAMS MACHINE FOR VENDING BOXES OF MATCHES April 23, 1929.

a 7 SheetsrSheet 5 Filed Dec. 18-, 1926 April 23, 1929, w. E. WILLIAMS MACHINE FOR VENDING BOXES OF MATCHES Filed Dec.- l8, 1926 R 7 She'et-Sheet 4 mw QM. m 8 w $7.

April 23, 1929. w. E. WILLIAMS MACHINE FOR VENDING BOXES OF MATCHES Fi'led Dec. 1a, 1926 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 l i April 23, 1929. w. E. WILLIAMS MACHINE FOR VENDING BOXES OF MATCHES Filed Dec. 18. 1926 7 Sheet-$het 6 J6+ J00 JLUJOJ April 23, 1929. r w. E. WILLIAMS MACHINE FOR VENDING BOXES OF MATCHES '7'v Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Dec. 18, 1926 ym/22f S QQQ mm \l Patented Apr. 23; 1929.

WILLIAM ERASTUS WILLIAMS, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS. i

MACHINE FOB. VENDING BOXES MATCHES.

Application filed December 18, 1926. Serial No. 155,605.

'My invention relates to vending machines for boxes of matches wherein the boxes are secured upon a tapeas a carrier and this tape, loaded with matches, is wound into a coil or reel making a bundle of coiled-up orreeled tape to which the boxes of matches are attached, and this bundle of matches thus arranged, is loaded into the Vending machine as a single unit in the coiled-up form and then the end of the tape is trained into the mechanism of the vending machine and this mechanism is arranged to feed forward and out off a section of a tape to which there is attached a single box of matches each interval of operation. Mechanism under the control of a coin deposited. in the slot permits a -single operation ofthe machine for the deposit of each coin, an ordinary slide or handle being employed to operate the mechanism which. feeds out the tape and cuts it off as desired at each operation of the machine.

The general object of the machine is to provide a compact narrow width machine which will carry a large load of match boxes as compared to the vending machines heretofore used wherein as a general'statement' the'machine carries only a few boxes of matches and at the same time occupies a large frontage on the counter whereon these machines are ordinarily placed for the servire of the customer. Counter space is some thing like lot frontage in the fact that it is the front of the counter rather than the oth across it that 1S'(lQS1ICl to be conserved. for display purposes and thus a machine which is narrow on the face of the counter and relatively deep is moreadvantageous from a vending machine standpoint tl1.-t11-8 machine wl'iichtakes a widerfrontage and a narrower depth. The present design is made to accomplish this saving of counter space together with the feature that an entire charge of matches can be loaded in one operation as a single cartridge as against putting the match boxes into the vending machines one at a time as has heretofore been generally the case. A- further object of the invention, relates to the mecha nism involved in car" mg and supporting the matches andtraining them through the machine and cutting off the tape which car-.

lies the match boxes. Thesepdetails will be more fully described herein.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is'an outside elevation of the machine on the left side of the machine. 7 I I Fig. 2 is a front elevation'of the machine showing the narrow width which it occupies across the counter and in the front exposed to'the service of the'customer using themawhen. thevending mechanism isin position ready to be operated by the purchaser.

Fig. dis a view on same line as that of Fig. 5 showing some of the detailed parts shown in F ig. 5 but with the operating slide extended to the position which it occupies on the completion of the delivery from the machine before the parts are returned to the normal position of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View online 77 of Fig. 17 showing the mechanism which is involved in handling the coin slide in the operation of the machine' p I Fig. 8 is a similar View that of-Fig. 7 showing the parts in a different position in the operation of the machine.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9-9' of Fig. 7. i I 1 Fig. 10 is a perspective View of the locking bolt which is actuated by the coin when the same is employed in the sale as in the ordinarydcv'h es of this kind. .This locking bolt being of a I peculiar shape is particularly suited for thismachine.

. Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view on cutting off a single box.

Fig. 14 is a transverse sectional detail on line-14-14='of Fig. 13.

Fig. 1 5'isa similar view to that of Fig.

lessin width than the length of the l 1O 12 at the completionof the outward stroke of the slide and the cutting off of a single match box from the tape.

Fig. 16 is a transverse sectional elevation 7 left in Fig. 11 showing a cross section of the chutc'way being substantially across to the side of stirrup 62 Fig. 20 is a side elevation from the right side showing the chuteway connection to frame plate 88.

In the drawing 1 indicates the baseboard or frame base piece; 2 indicates the back wall; 3 is the front wall of the case; 1 indicates the left wall and 5 the right wall; 6 the top or cover of the machine. The right well 5 and the top cover 6 are detachable by any suitable detachable means for the purpose of loading the machine for a further supply of matches in the form of a reel or spool of boxes bound together by a tape as previously mentioned. in. the left wall of the machine there is fixed a permanent spindle 7, see Figph, which acts as a support ing axis for the roll or coil of boxes. This coil normally is large enough substantially to fill the space on the inside of the case excepting the corners. On the inside there is provided the curved wall 8, see Fi 5, which furnishes a bottom support for the full load coil, or reel of matches when first placed in the machine. 13y support I mean the support for any loose portion of the coil or reel and refer to the unwound portion or slack part'of it, the main weight of the reel being carried bythe spindle 7. p

The arrangement of the boxes on the tape is shown by F igxd wherein 9 indicates the boxes and 10 the tape, the tape being pasted onto the fiat sides of the boxes and being Matches usually vended by a machine of this kind are What are known as safety matches in rather small boxes. Tie tape being narrower than the length of the box facilitates the means of carrying the box through the machine and cutting off the tape use of slide 11 alone.

The inner operator and pulled out-ward the operating means of the machine but i prefer to' arrange an operating handle 16 in addition to this bar, see 1, 2 and 3 mounted on a shaft 17 connected by an arm 18 to a hinge pin 19 to a lever 20 hinged at 21 to the left leg of the slide 11-; thus by raising and lowering the end of the'lever 16, the slide 11 may be moved outward from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. (ii The purpose of this lever is to "we a little more purchase and make ita l le easier to'operatethe slide 11 than were the handle holding 12 only to be used to apply the operators lingers to pull out the slide direct. The hand lever is may be on'iittcd if desired and the operation of the machine confined to the The mechanism shown in Figs. Z1'0 inclusive show the arrangement of the device used to prevent the o )eration of the slide '11 save only as a coin may be inserted to release the movement of the slide to permit it to operate the mechanism which pulls forwardand cuts oil the tape 'arrying the matches. This coin controlled"mechanism consists of a coin receiving slot 22 having an aperture 23 into which the coin is deposited sidewise drops down through an aperture and comes to a rest on a tixed block 25 in the case of the machine. Fastened to the right side of the right leg of the slide 11 there is a block 26 which moves The wall 30 of a horizontal coin slot on the further movement of the slidell holds the Cil coin downward and the coin thereby pushes with it me looking loo of the slide 11 and thus permits theslide to be withdrawn its full. distance outward in the fi'inction of operating the mechanism which feeds forward the boxes OflIliLtCl'lGS. As the coin is carried over beyond the point 28 of the locking bolt 29 the coin is guided by a spring finger and forced to drop downa slot 34; in the side of the machine' down. to

coin receptacle in the lower front corner ng 36 supported by of the machine. g1;

O V I PLOJQCUOI] 31 fronra shoulder 82 which is in the edge of the right i. I v a sc w 37 engages .he lockingbolt 29 and rot it'upward to its, upward position shown in 7. This coin controlled mech- {lilTiSlTi is all located on the right side of the machine in a relatively thin space'outsicle of secondary frame piece 38 furnishes the'base to which this coincontrolled mechanism is attached and narrow ribs or blocks and I 39 form the side walls of the chuteway or actuate a or I curved path sliding upon curvedtrackways slot 34 down which the coin is passed through to the receptacle 35. 4

Ttis of common practice to arrange means for preventing the return of the slide 11 or other operatingmeans in a coincontrolled' machine until a complete cycle of operation of the same has been accomplished thus guarding against a false operation of the device. This mechanism, here employed, is composed of a dog ll), see Fig. 5, on a'pin l1 having an end 42 connected by a spring 43 and secured at Mite the wall 45 being a frame wall on t-he'left of the machine corresponding to the wall 38 on the right side. Teeth 46 in the left leg of the slide 11 are acted upon by the dog 40 so that as the slide is pulled outward it prevents a return movementuntil the full movement of the slide is arrived at when the notch 47 allows the dog 40 to assunm-a vertica position in which it will allow the slide to be returned'home and at the same time prevent another outward movement until the slide has arrived clear home or in its final retreated position wherein the dog 40 projects into another notch 43. A similar construction is usually provided in slot machines wherein movable.

slides are provided.

Feeding forward the match box loaded tape accomplished by a step by stepmovement under tln-rinfluence of the reciprocating motion of the slide 11 which is connected to o..fsl1ead which travels in a which form a chuteway through which the tape with its load of match boxes passes through and this crosshead embraces the said chuteway and is provided at the top with a series; of pawls or detents which engage the corners of the match boxes and push them forward as the crosshead itself moves forward see F' 11; 12 and 13. This crosshead is formed ofa U-shaped frame member having a lower crossv piece 49 and the vertical. side walls 50 in'which there are secured bosses 51 on which are mounted trunnion pins 52. see Fig. 12, and these trunnion pins are engaged;atintervals by the front wall 53, see Figs. '2' and 8 and the rear wall. 5 1. of apertures in the sides 11 0f the slide. The horizontal distance across this aperture is made necessary in order to allow he slide to be moved backward and forwardsn c'iently to allow the coin 27-movement sufficient to engage the block 28 before the move nt of the crosshead commences, and the ,i e tical depth of these apertures are made neeessary'due to the fact that the cross head travels in a curved line' while the slide travels in a horizontal. line and thus the movement of the pins 52 up and down in the said apertures allow the crossheadto travel in a curve while the slide travels in a straight line. At the topedges 55 of the crossh'ead mounted on the cross bars 56 and studs 57 there is provided detent pawls 58 and 59 which engage the corners of the match boxes as indicated by Figs. 11 and 13. The chuteway upon which the crosshead' rides and through which the match boxes and tapepasses is formed of angle bars 60 on the upper side and with angle bar-s61 on the lower side, see Figs. 11, 12 and 19, and these bars are connected across to each other at the rear through the medium of the connecting band or stirrup 62 and a like stirrup 63 in the region where the tape is severed and they are also connected together and to the front face 3 of the machine at 64. The inner end of this chuteway is secured at 66 by a small bolt 67 in the top wall 6 of the machine. T he match box tape with its boxes of matches is prevented from a retrograde movement by a series of detent pawls 68, see Figs. 11-and,12, which are mounted upon a rod 69 secured into a curved plate 70 which is fastened to angle bars 71 which is part of the stirrup piece 63 to' which the chuteway angle bars 60 and 61 are, connected. The other end 72 of this curved plate 70 is se-' cured to a cross piece 73 connecting the inner curved ends 74 of the angle guide bars 61. This curved end 74 is so curved to admit the end of the match box loaded tape. A coil spring 75 serves tokeep the several pawls 68 snugly up against the tape of the match boxes and allows the tape to be pulled for-, ward but not backward in a retrograde movement.

A. shear blade .76 shown in a lifted or clearance position in Fig. 13 and in a downward and close position in Figs. 12 15, and 16 cuts oil the match box tape 10 whenever the boxes'have beenfed forward toIregister for thedelivery of asinglematch box which delivery takes places as "indicated by fth'e match box 77 in Fig. 15 in which position a delivery has just been made and the slide 11 has commenced to retreat for anew oper through the orifice 78- in front face 3 of the machine, see Figs. 2 and 15.

The shear blade 76 is provided with a saw toothed cutting edge 79 and works against cutting edges 80 and 81, see F ig. 15,. of cross piece of the chuteway provided to assist in cutting of the tape.

, The shear blade 76 is secured by the rivets 82, see Figs. 14 and 18, passing through lugs 83 turned over from the body of the blade itself and the rivets passing through the upper cross member 84 of the'framein which theshear blade 76 is supported and carried in its work, this frame hasdownward sides 85 connected across by the bottom member 86 integral with the side members 85 thus making the side and bottom frame which hold the blade 76, a U-shaped piece which embraces angle bars 60 and 61 of the chuteway and the edges 87 of these side frame pieces 85 abut against the edges 89 ot the frame plates 41-5 and 88 on the sides forming a part'of the frame structure of the machine. I I

A guide plate 90 is a continuation of the angle bars 61 carrying the chuteway into the delivery orifice 78 and connected at 65 to front face 3 and this guide plate 90 is connected to the angle piece 71 before more tioned, and extending across and on top of this plate 90 there the shear piece 80. On the bottom section 86 of this blade f'ame sides or legs 85 there is secured. an angle piece 91 which is engaged by the springs 92 running over the bar 93 between-the plates and 88 using this bar as a fulcrum and the other ends of these springs are secured at 94 to a block 95 secured to the front wall pieee3 of the frame. Thus the springs 92 normally-hold the shear blade down to the position shown in Figs. 12, 15, and 16. The frame which holds the shear blade 76 which reciprocates vertically along the edges 89 of the frame pieces 88 .is held in such a position by means of guide blocks 96 having lips 97 which overlap and engage projections 98 on the plates 15 and '88, see 13 and 14, and the stirrup 63 guides the lower end of the side pieces 85 upon a downward movement against displacement on the edges 89 of the plates 45 and 88. Blocks 99 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 15 and in, full lines in Fig. 6 guide sidewise the cutting blade frame at its lower end.

The cutting blade frame with its cutting blade is actuated by a constant pressure downward of the springs 92, but is raised by cam blocks 100, see Figs. 11, 13,15 and 16 which cam blocks have the cam faces 101 adapted to engage rollers 102 mounted on pins 103, see Fig. 16, in the frame pieces and the cam blocks 100 are pivoted'at 10 1 on the slide piece 11 oneof these cam blocks being mounted on each side of blade frame on legs 11 of the said slide. Slots 105 in the cam blocks 100 work over pins 106 which limit the movement-of the blocks to the downward position: shown in Figs. 11 and 13. The rollers 102 travel around the cam blocks 100 so that when the slide 11 is pulled forward or outward in the function of (Lelivering a section of tape carrying one match box, the first movement of the slide after-the coin is inserted serves to lift the shear blade by causing the rollers 102 to rise up the inclined surfaces 1010f the cam blocks 100 and when, in upward position see Fig. 13, hold the shearblade stationary until a completion of the stroke of the slide allows the rollers 102 to drop down over the end of the cam block at the hinge pins 104 which position of the slide is arrived at at the full outward. stroke of the slide 11'. At this point the end match box has been pushed out, touches and is held by guardpieces or registering stops 107, see Fig.- 13. Guard pieces 107 enter into apertures in the plate 90 and are secured-to the member 86 of the cutter blade frame and register or stop the end of the tape in the exact position where the cutter blade 76 projects down between i the match boxes and severs the tape allowa discharge of the matcl'i boxes as shown by 77 in Fig. 15. Then on the return of the slide 11 under the control of the springs 15 as before described, see Figs. 5 and 6, the ".2111! blocks 100 rock up over the rollers 102 as indicated by Fig. 15 and thus allow the cam blocks to retreat back to a normal position, a little further back than is shown in the boxes and tape, the pawls 58 and 59 again engaging a new set of match boxes by having pawl teeth 108 and 109 engaging the iu iper corners of the match boxes, The

curved ehuteway produces the gap between the boxes at the top which facilitates the en trance oi the pawl teeth 108and 109 and thus permits boxes. to beset close together or even in contact when secured to the tape,

thus saving space for the storage of the boxes in the machine. 7

I I provide several of the pawls 58 and 59 in order to insure that some of them will fall by gravity into engagement with the boxes and thus save accidental or misplaced action of the machine. Slide, pieces 11 arecut down at their inner end, see Fig. 5, and

are provided with guide slots 110 which ride on pins 111 supported in the'machine. The cutter blade 7 6 has an aperture as indicated by 112 to allow inspection through.

the delivery orifice 78 in order to observe whether or not a match box is in the posito the position indicated by Fig.11, the boxes being shoved under and over the pawls which hold the boxes in the chute way beforedescribod. Thetape being narrower than the length of the boxes permits Fig. 11 ready for another feeding action of the shear blade 76 likewise to bev narrower and pass between the members 61 see Fig.

16 allowing the guideway to extend out and beyond the region of the travel of the shear blade 76. I

The cutter blade 76 makes a secure stop against robbing the machine. As this blade is raised the guard pieces 107 come up with it thus producing a stop to prevent more thanone box being discharged until the cutter blade again descends and cuts off the tape free from the box which is up against the guards 107 and as the cutter blade starts to descend the guards also descend and clears the match box that iscut oil and thus permits that box to fall down for delivery as indicated by 77,Fig. 15.

I have disclosed novel features in this application which are-also disclosed in my copending applications Serial Numbers 89,194 and 153,981 and I expressly reserve the right to claim any novelty disclosed but not claimed herein in another co-pending application.

Claims: I

1. In a machine of the class described, a casing having a chamber adapted to hold a coil of match boxes secured together by a tape and a curved chuteway through which the boxes and tape are fed to a discharging orifice, reciprocating feeding mechanism for feeding forward the match boxes in a step by step movement and provided with pawl engaging mechanism for engaging the edges of the boxes as the same are held in the curved chuteway. v

2. In a machine of the class described, a casing having a chamber adapted to hold a series of match boxes secured together by a tape, a curved chuteway through which the said boxes and tape are fed to a' delivery orifice, a feeding mechanism for feeding the boxes through the said chuteway and a reciprocating crosshead embracing the said chuteway, and sliding back and forth longitudinallythereon, and carrying a series of pawls adapted to engage and push the match boxes through the chuteway, a reciprocating cutter blade'mounted transversely of the said chuteway and adapted to be operated by a spring movement and the said movement controlled in relation to the re-v ciprocating of the said crosshead whereby the cutter blade is made to register exactly and cut the tape holding the boxes at the exact position between the boxes on the tape. I

3. In a machine of the class described, the

combination with a casing having a chamber, of means for revolubly mounting a coil of flexibly connected match boxes within said chamber, a chuteway leading from said chamber through which said match boxes are withdrawn, the said chuteway being curved to provide openings between said boxes to permit the admission of severing means, a plurality of detent pawls adapted to simultaneously engage saidchain of match boxes, means adapted to reciprocate ering means, a transversely reciprocating box severing means, a cam adapted to withdraw said severlng means hold said means during an advance oi sald chain of boxes and then release said means, andresilient means adapted to suddenly operate said severing means.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a casing having a chamber'adapted to hold a chain of flexibly connected match boxes arranged in a unit package, a chuteway leading from said chamber throughwhich said match boxes are withdrawn, the said chuteway being curved to permit the admission of severing means, reciprocating means adapted to advance said chain, severing means adapted to detach a terminl box, and a movable guard for pro- 7 tecting said box chain when said severing means is inoperative. f

Signed at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 16th day of December, 1926.

WILLIAM ERASTUS WILLIAMS. 

